Not as planned
by Vanishing Trooper
Summary: Sometimes, trying to use an abundance of courage and determination doesn't really get you the result that you wanted.
1. Chapter 1

We have so many stories now wherein Louise summons someone else other than Saito Hiraga as her familiar. Usually, this means that she summons someone from a completely different reality or series. But what if...what if...the replacement for Saito was someone more...in-house so to speak? Let's explore that possibility shall we?

Disclaimer: I blame my non-existent suspension of disbelief for the narration style.

...

Funny thing when you look at the Totality of Existence in the macro sense. There is actually more than one Universe out there somewhere. Each possibility that could happen can and probably already did somewhere or is still waiting for its own Universe to be born for said happening to actually happen. One could probably compare it to either a Kaleidoscope or a massive limitless library where each universe is a book that holds countless similar universes.

Kind of makes one feel pretty insignificant in the face of everything else doesn't it? Then again, if you are aware of how vast the Totality of Existence really is, chances are you aren't an insignificant being in the first place. But I digress...

The point is that there is always a possibility that something somewhere that could happen can, has, or will happen. No matter how insane or unlikely the odds, statistically speaking, everything should be able to happen somewhere at some point.

However, if the unlimited possibilities of existence is truly unlimited, wouldn't that in itself be a limitation? Nah...probably not. After all, the beast known as Possibility cares little for things such as logic when looking at the bigger picture.

_-Blabberings of some guy who had an interesting life_

...

"By the Founder! She summoned a dragon!"

"As expected of her!"

"Absolutely amazing!"

"Well done Tabitha~!"

"A fine summon indeed Miss Tabitha! Please make sure to take care when completing the contact with your new familiar."

The words of praises for their peer that managed to summon a healthy blue dragon echoed throughout the field. It was early spring in the country of Tristainia, which was snugly located in the middle of the Halkeginian continent. The Tristain Magic Academy was often lauded as the very best school of magic in the entirety of Halkeginia. With the track record it had through the many many centuries so far, it was a reputation that was very difficult to refute.

Thus, many sons and daughters of prominent members of nobility from both Tristania and its neighboring countries come to this school to be part of its history and maybe even try to make history there.

Speaking of history, the current event that is playing out today is the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual, the definition of which is self-explanatory. It has been a tradition in this academy that all second year students that have made it this far are to try to summon and contract a familiar, a partner that will serve and remain loyal to them till their last day. Familiars are also very big responsibilities considering that they are technically an extension of the mages who summoned them.

The actions of the familiar are the actions of the mage. That was the main idea behind the concept, something that someone thought up of so mages at least become responsible enough to take care of their own familiar. After all, they're still living beings. No one really knows anymore who exactly came up with the rule of second year students summoning their familiars during spring nor what they intended when they came up with it. It's been part of their tradition for so long, everyone just thought that it was important since it has worked so well so far.

There is also a more practical reason why familiar summonings are done and only done in the second year of a student's tenure in the academy. It makes sure that the students who participate in the ritual already have some degree of proficiency in magic to prevent any nasty accidents from happening before, during, and after the ritual.

Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule...yes, every last one. Always.

"Miss Valliere? It is your turn. Please step forward." The professor handling this class called out to a certain student. The professor was rather simple looking man and exuded the aura of 'teacher' very well. He looked to be physically in the middle of his life with a prominently receding hairline and simple glasses. He also had a seemingly permanently plastered good willed smile on his face that added to his already boisterous teaching aura. He wore simple blue robes and had a wooden staff on one hand and a leatherbound book on the other. The typical magician look so to speak.

"Miss Valliere?" Said professor called out again to the certain student. Said certain student was a young woman who had long flowing pink hair, sharp amber eyes, and a determined yet fearful expression. She was wearing the standard uniform for a female student of the academy, a white long sleeved shirt which was mostly covered by a black mantle that was held by a brooch with the symbol of a pentagram, black socks that reached up to her thighs and matching shoes. She also had a very very modest chest, but I wouldn't say that within earshot of her if I were you. In her right hand was the standard wooden wand supplied by the academy. The academy allows its students to use other objects as their preferred focus for spells provided that they prove that they can use said object of choice properly. In fact, the aforementioned summoner of the blue dragon was using a gnarled wooden staff that was even taller than she was.

"I think Zero just broke!"

"That's not surprising since she has already failed at trying to summon a familiar twice now!"

"We should all just leave, the outcome of the Zero's summoning should be obvious already!"

"No! I wanna see this!"

"Why does she even bother to try?"

"Children please! There is no need for such words here!"

The pink-haired young woman wasn't listening to any of them though, she had bigger things to worry about even though they had a point. On the theoretical and academic side of her studies, she is nearly unmatched. Only the quiet blue-haired girl named Tabitha, the girl that summoned the dragon, was better than her in academics. The problem stemmed from her pratical application grades, you know...the part where the students of magic try to actually perform magic. She doesn't have as much success in that part of her studies. In fact, she's had zero success in that area of her studies. Hence, the derogatory nickname of Zero that her classmates have come to call her. Odd since Zero is a very awesome way to be known by anywhere else.

_This is my last chance! I have to be able to do this! I can't fail! I can't fail! I would shame my family! I would shame my parents! I would shame my sisters! I would shame my ancestors! I would shame myself! _Young Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, yes her actual full name, thought as she took slow deliberate steps forward to where her professor was waiting for her. Everything around her seemed to slow down as she put one foot in front of the other. All sound blocked out, all movement around her became sluggish. All she had was herself and her inner fears.

Louise's mother was once the Commander of the Royal Tristanian Manticore Knight Corps. It was a magic knight corps that usually have manticores for mounts. Yes. Manticores. As mounts.

She was also, and still is, a very powerful Wind Mage and was given the infamous title of 'Heavy Wind' because of her signature spell. Louise's thoughts were completely swamped with the thought of disappointing a woman who had become a living legend in her country. She had to make sure to make her mother proud!

She needed to summon the perfect familiar for that purpose!

Louise stepped forward and took a few breaths to calm herself down and focus. She didn't even notice her professor tell her if she was alright and to begin her third try as soon as she was ready. The young woman, incompetent in all forms of conventional magic in her own realm, blocked out everything around her and focused soley in her task.

And then she was alone.

She opened her mouth and pointed her wand straight up to the open blue skies.

_One who is powerful!_

"I beg of you..."

_One who is noble!_

"My slave to who lives somewhere in the Universe!"

_One who is wise!_

"Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!"

_One who can prove that I am not a failure!_

"I desire and here I plead from my heart!"

_One who can help me become a true mage!_

"Answer to my guidance!"

_One who can make me proud to be a member of the Valliere family!_

The explosion that followed should have been enough to be considered a hostile attack. Black smoke spread out everywhere and anyone who wasn't rendered temporarily deaf from the inital blast found their vision to be non-existent. Louise did her best to fan away all the smoke that was produced by her spell in an effort to get any sort of confirmation that she was successful or not. That was the biggest explosion that she had ever made with her spells and she was very very very worried that, even if she was able to summon something, her familiar-to-be might have been injured and killed by being at the center of the summoning explosion.

Louise silently pleaded to the founder of her civilization, her god, and the world itself that her summon was there and was safe. Interestingly enough, she was actually given an answer. Beyond the smoke, Louise suddenly saw a very small glint right in front of her. A moment later, she was suddenly caught in a very powerful gust of wind.

She could barely hear the panicked screams of her peers over the howling of the wind. Obviously, because of said howling wind, the smoke that was obscuring everyone's view was blown away in short order. The thing was, the source of the wind came from the center of the explosion. Logically speaking, that meant that it came from whatever it was that Louise summoned.

"What manner of trickery is this?" Or 'who' as the coherent sentence seemed to indicate. The voice was that of a young woman not unlike Louise herself but held an edge that could give you a nasty papercut just by hearing it. The summoner herself just managed to cough up the last of the smoke that she accidentally inhaled and finally got a good look at her handiwork.

She then proceeded to cough again when she saw the source of the voice.

The term 'young woman' seemed to fit the one Louise had summoned. Yes, she summoned a female human. One who was in her early to mid-teens based on her appearance alone. She was petite and was only a inch or two taller than her summoner. She was wearing...well...Louise couldn't help but let her jaw drop as if some sort of invisible force was dragging it down. Not really.

The reason for her apparent shock was because her summon was wearing a sleeveless white blouse that covered her modest chest, almost as modest as Louise's, and was wearing a pair of white leather shorts that were barely shorts at all. Seriously, those things rode up to her upper thighs and gave a very generous view of the young woman's smooth legs. Thankfully she was still wearing brown shoes, rather stylish ones at that. Her short shorts had a thick brown belt that was almost covering the shorts. The distinctive thing about it was that there was a thin scabbard attached on the left side of the belt.

Louise assumed that the scabbard was for the sword wand that the young woman in question was holding in her right hand. Yes. A sword-wand. It had the hilt and length of a standard rapier but was much thicker and the end was blunt. It was more a wand in the shape of a sword rather than a sword with wand-like properties.

The young woman also had a cape...no...under closer inspection it was a blue coat, a long coat to be exact, draped over her shoulders like a cape would. How that stays on is anyone's guess...it was probably because of magic.

All those things made the young woman in front of our summoner look very distinct and very striking. However, for Louise anyway, those details were moot compared to something else. Something more...familiar.

The young woman's face was fair and looked delicate but her expression and especially her eyes betrayed fierce determination and strength. Steel was in her eyes as it were. The young woman had long pink flowing hair that was tied up into a ponytail, likely more for practicality than style. Though it did look very nice on her.

If you haven't noticed anything odd yet, read the description of the summon again. If you still can't get anything, work on your imagination a bit more.

"You!" The young woman called out to Louise in a fierce manner that made the student flinch.

"You wear the uniform of a student of the Tristain Magic Academy. Explain yourself! What am I doing here?" The young woman demanded while pointing her sword-wand at Louise. Her voice commanded great strength of character despite having the tone and inflection of a teenage girl. The young summoner could not help but take a step back at her words. The summon narrowed her eyes and Louise after being unsatisfied with the silence that hung in the air.

"What is your name?" The young woman finally asked while still pointing her sword-wand at Louise.

"A-a-my-ah-" Louise muttered far to softly and incoherently to be of any effect.

"Speak up!" That yell was enough to break Louise's silence.

"Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere!" Louise stammered out her rather long name. The young woman suddenly blinked in surprise before lowering her wand.

"The house Valliere. An honored noble house that has great history in Tristanian magic." The young woman muttered before giving Louise another once over. She eventually nodded to herself before sheathing her sword-wand and walked up to Louise.

"I apologize for my earlier reaction. I was not sure what was going on so I had to secure myself first before doing anything else. I hope that I did not offend you or your house." The young woman stated in a crisp and respectful tone of voice.

"Umm..." Was all Louise was able to say. The young woman tilted her head to the side before blinking in realization of something.

"I apologize. In my haste, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. I am a Chevalier in the service of the Tristainian Royal Crown. I am not able to provide you my full name at the moment but you may call me Karin." The young woman named Karin introduced herself while giving Louise a respectful bow.

She stood up straight as soon as she heard a dull thumping sound and saw Louise on the ground unconscious.

"Are you well, Lady Valliere?" Karin asked in honest concern before going to Louise's aid, completely unaware of what she and the passed out young woman had just gotten themselves into.

...

This story is clearly all Decade's fault.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Okay, I wanna get a bunch of stuff out of the way before I go anywhere further with this fic.

Updates wise, I plan on alternating between this and Be Careful What You Wish For.

The Karin depicted in this fic is a year older than Louise and is based on the Karin from the Karin SS Novels. The name for her depicted in this chapter is her actual maiden name before she got married. The Karin here is NOT Rule of Steel Karin. She hasn't developed that kind of mindset so she will be a more hardened Louise with stronger morals and sense of justice and has badass wind magic.

Most of the humor will come from the silly narrator and the occasional situational comedy. Make no mistake though, when I made the preliminary story map for this...it was the hardest thing I've ever had to reason out in terms of writing something. Seriously...so may things to deal with.

Also, this will be more of a character piece rather than a 'Louise and Karin's Excellent Adventures'. This will be very much a Coming of Age story for BOTH Louise and Karin so expect a lot of character interactions and talking more than action. If you expected a story with Karin kicking everyone's ass everywhere in every chapter, too bad.

With that out of the way, please enjoy my newest story~

Disclaimer: Yukari is watching you read this fic.

...

Why does one seek power? Why does one gain power? Why does one use power? What is power anyway? Is it the means to create and destroy? If so, what does one become with power? Good or Evil? Loved or Hated? Fear or Inspiration? Protector or Killer? What is power in the most fundamental sense?

Power simply is.

Regardless of the kind, the source, the potency, the scope, the scale. In the end, it is simply that. Power.

Power in of itself does not have a will of its own. There are exceptions of course but those are very few and very far in between. In the end, power needs someone or something to wield it to be able to be of any meaning. The power derived from the purest light can be used to oppress or destroy countless innocents. The power derived from the deepest darkness can be used for the sake of benevolence and virtue. In the end power is simply a means. It will always be up to the wielder to decide how it is used.

If you seek power, regardless of what it is...why?

_-Blabberings of some guy who had an interesting life_

...

After quickly dismissing his class and bringing Louise and her...summon...to the academy's infirmary, one Jean Colbert immediately stormed into the academy library with the force of half a dozen hungry hungry hippos. It would have been more but robes tend to be very restricting when it came to locomotion. He tore through the many shelves that held various books and scrolls that he thought were releveant to the subject matter he was trying to look into.

"It should be impossible. No, it is impossible!" Jean stated with conviction as he poured over the material he has gathered so far. Everything that had anything to do with the academy's Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual. What he had already read so far seemed to prove his point. Not once in the entire recorded history of the academy did anyone ever manage to summon a human familiar.

Until now.

"I don't believe this..." Jean muttered to himself after recalling what happened in that field a while ago. He shook his head as if trying to deny the truth of the matter. Apparently the term 'seeing is believing' didn't sit well with him. Then again, that term probably hadn't come up in Halkeginia yet. It wasn't just the apparent impossibility of summoning a human familiar that had him on the edge. Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere had summoned a mage. A noble! A Chevalier if the young woman's claims were true. And if that wasn't enough, the Chevalier that was summoned had claimed her name to be Karin.

"Karin." Jean repeated the name. A Chevalier named Karin who wielded the element of Wind with little effort and had a striking resemblance to her summoner. All the clues pointed to only one possibility. A possibility that Jean didn't really want to believe despite the evidence.

Beyond all doubt and impossibility, Louise had somehow summoned the younger version of her own mother. Did Louise manage to pull out her mother from the past? The ritual should not be able to do that. Did Louise manage to summon her mother then make her younger again and forget her memories? Again, the ritual should not be able to do that. Nothing in that situation made any sense at all. None of that should have happened yet it did.

The good professor also failed to consider the fact that brute force summoning someone from the past should have caused all sorts of headaches for causality since doing so meant that you just plucked away someone from existing in the time they were supposed to. If Louise summoned her mother from the past before she married, then that meant that she would never be able to give birth to Louise and prevent her from summoning her mother in the first place. Doing so will allow Louise to be born and live her life to eventually summon her mother from the past before she married, ad nauseum.

Too bad a magic-based civilization like Tristainia's didn't have things like Quantum Physics to play around and confuse each other with.

What was worse was that Louise seemed to realize who she had summoned as well.

"Maybe I shouldn't have left them alone..." The professor muttered when he considered what may happen after Louise woke up. However, he made no attempt to tear himself away from the documents he was now blankly staring at, not really trusting his own sanity at the moment.

Let's all just hope he doesn't start rambling nonsense about High Fructose Corn Syrup or we'd all be in trouble.

...

Karin was sitting on a chair next to the bed where Louise lay, still unconscious. She had originally intended to simply report back to her barracks after acquiring a means of travel back there but it would be a poor showing for a Chevalier to leave an unconscious young woman without rendering some form of aid. Reluctantly, but with her head held up high, Karin went with the balding professor as he carried Louise to the infirmary.

The good professor Colbert had given her some overview information about what happened to her and where she was at the moment, though she had wondered why the man seemed to be on edge around her. The revelations were not what she had been expecting. The young woman who was lying on the bed was performing the traditional Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual, a ritual she herself had gone through as well. Normally she would be happy to witness the academy students prove their own worth by summoning a partner most suited for them during the ritual. There was just one problem...

The familiar summoning spell that the young lady of house Valliere performed called her. Her!

"Summoned as a familiar..." Karin muttered bitterly as she felt her anger grow from the idea. It was ridiculous! Preposterous! Blasphemous! She sheer notion was downright exceedingly heretical!

It should also be technically impossible.

Karin felt herself scowl deeper and deeper as she continued that line of thought. This wasn't supposed to happen to her! Not after everything she had already done! Everything she had been through! Everything she had sacrificed just to prove to herself, her family, and to everyone else that she had what it took to become a full time magic knight of Tristania! And finally! Finally! She had earned the title of Chevalier and was recognized for her efforts!

Then she walked right into a strange blue portal while her mind was too occupied with trying to decide what her morning training regiment should be. Centurion and her comrades were called for a summons for the rest of the week so she had to get creative with staying at the top of her game while they were gone. Heh. I don't think Halkeginia had the term 'Shit Happens' either.

Karin blinked when she realized what she was doing. She had wrapped her long coat around her and was gripping the outer fabric so tightly that her knuckles were going white. She took several deep breaths to try to calm herself down. She closed her eyes while doing so and realized that there was something in her eyes. She used her right hand to touch her face near her right eye and felt something wet. Karin grit her teeth and quickly wiped the tears in her eyes with her coat. She was silently disappointed with herself. Crying over this was beneath her. She took another deep breath before turning back to Louise.

Karin fundamentally knew that the situation that transpired wasn't Louise's fault either. The ritual simply did not work that way. The Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual will only either summon a familiar that was compatible with the mage's primary element or a familiar that the mage needed the most. Mages can't simply pick what they wanted to have as their summon. Even if that was possible, Karin had never met or heard of Louise and she was certain that she had not claimed enough of a reputation or fame to be known by a daughter of the Valliere family. This brought on something that slightly bothered her as well. When she looked at the young woman as she slept, it was like looking at another her.

Her hairstyle and other minor traits were different of course but otherwise, they may pass as sisters at a glance. That kind of coincidence was...unnerving. Especially since she knew that her family had absolutely no connection to the Vallieres.

"Just what in Brimir's name is going on?" The young Chevalier thought out loud as she continued to stare at Louise's face. As if triggered by some form of cosmic event flag, the young Valliere slowly opened her eyes.

"How do you feel?" Karin immediately asked after she saw Louise's eyes open. The girl in question still did not seem completely conscious yet and blinked before turning her eyes to the one peering down at her.

"I..." Louise started to say before she finally realized who it was that asked her that question. Her reaction to this situation should be obvious.

"Aaaaaaaahhh!" The student suddenly screamed out in panic as if spectre of infinite relentless suffering was looking right at her.

"Calm yourself, Lady Valliere! You are safe here!" Karin immediately stated with as much clarity as possible while grabbing Louise by the shoulders to prevent her from hurting herself. She had been taught to deal with people who suddenly broke down into raw fear and panic after regaining consciousness. Making the person who was flipping out understand that they were safe and needed to calm down as the first action. Smart. Louise struggled in her grasp for but a civilian student of a magic academy did not have any hope of breaking free from a highly skilled and trained Chevalier. Of course, with all that adrenaline pumping inside her body, a fully panicking Louise was still something that was a bit of a challenge to subdue for Karin since they shared similar body builds.

"Lady Valliere! Please get ahold of yourself! Have some dignity, you're a Valliere for Founder's sake!" Karin let out before taking Louise into an embrace both to secure the girl and to be able to calm her down.

"It's alright, Lady Valliere. No one will hurt you. I swear it on my honor as a Chevalier. No harm will come to you so long as I am here." Karin swore to Louise in a desperate bid to get the girl to finally stop freaking out. She normally didn't throw around oaths like that but doing so for Louise just seemed like the natural thing to do for her. She idly though if that was part of the reason why she was called when Louise performed her summoning ritual as she finally felt the other girl relax. Karin felt Louise grab onto the back of her coat while burying her face into her left shoulder.

"Why...why is this happening?" Louise weakly asked. Karin didn't know the scope of the question from Louise's point of view, but she had her own things she wanted answers to as well. Why was all of this happening indeed.

...

"Have you calmed down?" Karin asked the standard question. The Chevalier was now seated back on the chair next to Louise's bed while the other girl was sitting up on the previously aforementioned bed. Louise had clung onto Karin for a few minutes as the latter tried to make sure that the former had calmed down enough to be able to hold a decent conversation with without having the other girl start freaking out again. That kind of running gag would have been in poor taste.

Louise had her head down and had her hands curled up into fists. Karin couldn't really imagine why Louise seemed so...terrified with the idea of summoning her. To a degree, she knew that their situation had very serious ramifications on several levels. She was a noble, a Chevalier, a member of the knight corps, her loyalty should lie with the crown and only the crown. On the other hand, Louise was the daughter of one of the most prominent and well respected families in Tristainia and a student of the Tristain Magic Academy, her own Alma Mater. If Karin was the one that Louise summoned during her Summon Servant Ritual, she needed to complete the Contract Servant Ritual or face expulsion from the academy. Failing to bind your summon to you was tantamount to failing the entire ritual altogether. Karin didn't need to even imagine the kind of shame that would bring Louise and house Valliere as a whole.

And it would be partially be because of her.

Karin always hated situations where straightforward methods couldn't fix the problem at hand.

"May I ask you a question?" Karin blinked when she heard Louise finally speak out. The young Valliere still refused to look at her but the sheer timidity of the way she asked her question prevented Karin from feeling any offense from the gesture.

"If I am able to answer." Karin responded with a nod, though Louise probably didn't see it.

"Are...are you...are you real?" Now that was a loaded question. Were any of them really real? Are any of you really real or are you also fictional characters that just didn't realize it yet? You are real? Really? Really really?

From the sudden uncomfortable silence that followed, it seemed that Karin didn't expect that question either so she was not able to respond for a few moments.

"Are you really there? Did I really summon you?" Louise continued after Karin failed to respond.

"The summoning ritual shouldn't have been able to summon you. Not you. So are you really here?" The young Valliere stated before asking once more. Karin didn't understand what she meant by that. The Chevalier noticed that Louise stated that 'she' shouldn't have been summoned, not that a human shouldn't be summoned. Instead, Louise referred to her specifically. Karin glanced back to Louise after she noticed the other girl hunch down and start trembling. Karin didn't understand any of it. Why was this girl reacting this way to her?

"Are you real? Or am I finally going insane?" Louise muttered while clutching the sides of her head. Karin immediately stood up and held the other girl by the shoulders.

"I am real. I am here. Lady Valliere, you our sanity is intact." Karin explained to Louise as she forced the girl to face her. The Chevalier was successful but what she saw did not put her at ease. Louise was looking right at her and her eyes betrayed a very obvious kind of fear. The kind of fear that she had seen during her previous missions, in the eyes of those who knew that their end was near.

"I don't know which is worse..." Louise said while looking like she would very much like to curl up and die before popping out of existence. Yeah, she has some issues deep down.

"I have never met you in my life, so why? Why is it you fear me so?" 'And why do you look so much like me?' Karin almost asked the last part but caught herself from doing so. That kind of question would just make things more tense and awkward than it already was.

"May I know...your name?" Louise suddenly asked instead of giving Karin a straight answer.

"I already told you, Lady Valliere. My name is Karin." The Chevalier quickly stated...a little too quickly actually.

"I request that you please tell me your real name...I want to know the name of the person I summoned." Louise followed up after a moment. Karin didn't realize it, but Louise's mind was going at subsonic speeds now. She knew her mother's maiden name by sheer accident. She remembered it when she asked her father about it years ago before she left for the academy. Her father let it slip but asked her to promise him never to reveal it to anyone else and that she was one of the few who knew her mother's former name.

Louise wanted the answer to come out of the mouth of the person in front of her. The young woman desperately wanted the answer to be different. Anything but the correct one because she wasn't sure what she would do if Karin told her the correct answer. For the first time in her life, Louise begged and prayed that she was wrong. The other girl simply stared at her for several agonizing moments as she considered Louise's request.

Karin had changed her name not just for convenience. She did so to be able to make a clean personal break from her old life, the girl she was once before. And now...now a girl who she had never met or heard of before wanted to know it. A girl who looks so much like her before she became a knight, was asking her to reveal something she hadn't even revealed to her own comrades.

However, Karin had a thought. If Louise knew her name then she might be able to get her family to clear this whole mess up. After she reports back to her headquarters and find a way to be able to escape having to become Louise's familiar while letting the daughter of house Valliere to save face and prevent any tarnish on her honor. Yes, Karin decided that would be a sound plan. She made a dismissive passing thought about it. After all, what was the worse that could happen?

Oh Karin...wait, does Murphy even exist in Halkeginia?

"Dame...Dame Karin?" Louise's words snapped the Chevalier out of her thoughts. Being called by her title still made Karin feel a distinct sense of pride. Yes, she was a knight...a Chevalier. There was no need to doubt herself. She was skilled and determined enough to be able to deal with anything that may happen, and somehow she had a feeling that Louise would be more than willing to help her through this as well.

"Karina Dizelin du Mayelliere, that is my real name. I would very much appreciate it if you do not divulge this to the public." Karin intended to state that as a request but it somehow sounded to her like a threat. The young Chevalier nearly winced at that since that was not what she had wanted at all. It appeared that she still had some issues when it came with her past if her old name could get that kind of reaction out of her. Karin scowled when Louise's reaction to her reveal was to prop up her knees and use them to cover her face while wrapping her arms around them.

"Lady Valliere...I did not mean that as a-" Karin tried to clear up any notion that she was threatening Louise in any way because of her name. The thought that she would actually try to threaten a daughter of the Valliere family after trying to leave her former life behind her? The concept was ridiculous! Preposterous! Blasphemous! She sheer notion was downright exceedingly heretical! Yes, she uses those terms a lot apparently.

"Thank you..." Louise cut off Karin with those two words.

"Excuse me?" The ponytailed girl couldn't help but ask after getting mixed signals from Louise. The other girl seemed absolutely terrified of her, but here she was thanking her and Karin wasn't really sure why.

"Your name. Thank you for giving me your name." Louise clarified while turning her head to face Karin. Louise had an idea how much her mother wanted to keep that part of her life a secret from her, her sisters, and from everyone else. Her mother had made it a point to cut off her past from her life and live it as a Valliere after marrying her father. To hear Karin freely give out her maiden name was something that showed that Karin put great trust on Louise. Well, this Karin did anyway. Louise had mixed feelings about all of this since the girl she was looking at right now pretty much confirmed that she was indeed a younger version of her mother.

The problem now was what needed to be done about it. Louise had finally successfully summoned a familiar...then that meant that she needed to complete the...

"By the founder..." Louise muttered after realizing what it would mean to summon Karin as her familiar. She also realized what she needed to do to complete the contract and prevent herself from being expelled from the academy by failing to finish the ritual.

Karin, on her part, still had no clear idea what was going on in Louise's head and what her worries were. To say nothing of why Louise was still so nervous around her.

Yeah...if Freud were here, he'd have a lot of things to talk to them about.

...

Still Decade's fault...


	3. Karin End

**Author's Notes:** This may come as a surprise to many...whether good or bad is up to you. I have tried to do a full rewrite of Not as Planned in an effort to improve the overall quality of the story as a whole compared to what has already been published. The two parts so far that have been up just felt...slap dashed after I reviewed it, so I tried to improve on it for a better experience for the readers.

Unfortunately, I ran into problems as I did so...a lot of problems. Story map wise, I could carve out a good enough story up to the point where the 'reveal' takes place wherein Karin finally finds out what happend to her and who Louise really is. After that though, everything kind of just falls apart.

I kept trying to make it a story about Louise and Karin and the way they cope and deal with their situation while discovering more about each other and themselves along the way. Again, a character-driven piece. However, try as I might to keep the whole thing somewhat optimistic...the underlying politics and plot of Familiar of Zero keeps preventing that from happening. Just the very fact that another Karin, albeit younger, is around will attract all sorts of unwanted attention from all sorts of places. After I realized that, I tried to think of where the story might go. I did not like what I thought up.

I never really enjoyed writing dark or depressing storylines. I just don't. Some parts of Be Careful What You Wish For shows that I could push it to a degree, but I would much rather have a relatively lighthearted story where my characters develop through interactions as opposed to making my characters develop through suffering. And the way that Not as Planned was moving in my head just kept getting more and more grimderp since the circumstance of Louise summoning the younger version of her mother, who is also a living legend in their country, would be a lightning rod for trouble. Not the shenanigan kind either.

Thus, with a heavy heart, I will be dropping this story and moving back to focus on BCWYWF and being the final say when it comes to its side-story Fantastic Shrine Tales of Hidden Romance.

However, before I let this lay to rest, I give to all of you a farewell present. The scene that everyone who has read this has waited for since the birth of this idea.

I give you an entire chapter dedicated to the event when Karin meets her future self.

I would recommend listening to 'Meaning of Birth' from the Tales of the Abyss Official Soundtrack if you're feeling meaningful or 'Mighty Wind' from the Fate Stay Night Realta Nua Official Soundtrack if you just want a badass theme that fits both Karins while reading a part of this. You'll know which part, trust me.

I considered recommending EMIYA, DreamEndDischarger, or even X versus Zero for the music of that part of this chapter but...Meaning of Birth or Mighty Wind just made more sense and 'felt' more appropriate considering what was going on.

Without further ado, I bring an end to this story and leave behind this scene as my thanks for the readers who have supported it.

If anyone wishes to pick up on this concept and try their hand on it, I encourage you to do so because I for one would love to read a story with this concept to its completion.

Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

...

Everything has changed.

I was once a knight, a chevalier. One who fought and existed for the honor and glory of the Tristain Royal Family and the country they rule over.

Then, everything changed.

The power that allowed our civilization's founder to become who he was called me specifically for a new purpose.

To protect one of the heirs to his magic. To become a being of legend in the process. Most of all, to sacrifice everything I have earned and accomplished in order to do so. A small price for that honor, or so I thought.

My world turned upside-down and inside-out as I found that time had marched on without me for at least three decades. The conflicts and battles I had been a part of were nothing more than logs and reports in the depths of the capital's military archives.

The greatest shock of all was the true identity of the person who brought me here in the first place. The Void Mage who was Tristain's heir to Founder Brimir's legendary magic.

Her name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. She is my daughter...roughly thirty years in my future. To say that the revelation was a surprise would be a severe understatement.

But after many trials between the two of us, I had finally accepted my new role as her familiar and protector...thus inheriting the mantle of Gandalfr and all that it entailed. The physical enhancements that the runes of Gandalfr provided allowed me to perform feats I was only planning on developing with my own magic. To be able to feel and experience such a thing was impressive to say the least.

And with that change demanded a new identity from me. One wherein I can move about in public without raising too much suspicion from others.

For the second time in Halkeginia's history, Karina Dizelin du Mayelliere died and gave way to a new name:

'Vita la Oratorio del Vento'

The perfect cover for one such as I to pose as an unknown Romalian mage from a fallen noble house. Not really that far fetched from my original idea when I joined the Knight Corps anyway.

The things we had experienced. The people we've met. The feats we have accomplished. The trials we have endured. The lessons we have learned. All of those things I will always cherish for the rest of my life.

Then came the day when Louise was summoned by her family. Summoned by Duke and Duchess Valliere. Summoned by my future self.

I had learned much about the woman I eventually became in this world through both Louise's own words, the testimonials of Jean Colbert, as well as the history books in the academy library.

All of which painted a picture I could only dream of.

The legend of Karin 'The Heavy Wind' was known throughout the country. Lauded as the most powerful Square Class Wind Mage that Tristain has had in millennia. The fighteningly efficient and successful commander of the Tristain Manticore Knight Corps and the creator of the Tristain Griffin Knight Corps. Said to have been the only human who has ever defeated an Elven battle-mage in single combat.

The accolades, the praise, the LEGEND that my future self has carved into the very history of this country made me lightheaded when I learned of it all.

They were my ideals, my dreams, my aspirations, my wish. The fact that I would eventually be able to accomplish them and more was something that made me more than excited to meet my other self. I jumped at the chance to be able to see in person the woman I would become. Louise did not seem as enthused about it as I was at the time. I did not mind it then since it was likely just her needless worry of me meeting my future self.

I stepped into the Valliere manor a step behind Louise and there I saw the two other women that would eventually become my daughters. More so, I finally met her. My future. My ideal. With the rampant beating of my heart I came face to face with Duchess Karin Desiree de La Valliere in all her Noble and Legendary Glory.

I immediately found that I hated her.

...

_I'll show her...I'll prove that I'm better than that. I'll prove that she is wrong, that her path is not the best one_. Vita thought as she waited in an open field behind the Valliere manor. She adjusted her wide brimmed hat before making sure that her gloves were secure.

Vita, the Karin of the past, had changed her wardrobe somewhat compared to what she had when her future daughter first summoned her to this time period.

Her long pink hair was still tied into a ponytail, though obscured somewhat thanks to the leather wide-brimmed hat she acquired in the capital. That was also the day when she and Louise met and purchased the talking sword, Derflinger. The sentient magical sword that would eventually reveal itself to be the very sword that was forged and wielded by the original Gandalfr, one known only as Sasha.

The rather talkative sword, usually strapped onto her back as opposed to her sword-wand which was currently in its rightful place at her hip, was left with Louise for the duration of this encounter. No matter how ancient, or legendary, or magical the sword was, if the fight she was going to be in will go the way she expected it to, the heavier single-edged broadsword would only get in the way.

Her blue longcoat was still there except for the fact that the sleeves were cut at the shoulder. The new sleeveless look was to facilitate the stacked boost she got with her speed, mobility, and dexterity thanks to her speed enhancing wind spell on top of the enchantment provided by the Gandalfr runes. She still kept the longcoat...long...because it still held a number of uses including but not limited to obstructing the view of her opponent, stabilizing herself during high-speed movement, as well as a layer of protection from thrown projectiles or spells.

Her frilled sleeveless blouse was eventually replaced by one of Louise's white long-sleeved academy shirts after the debacle in Albion. The rescue of the displaced Prince Wales Tudor was a difficult and taxing affair on its own. It was only compounded by the sudden and surprising betrayal of Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes, Louise's fiancé and the man her future self trained and hand picked to lead a Tristain Griffin Knight Squadron. Vita still couldn't understand the motivations of the man to betray not only the country he had sword allegiance to, but also to betray the woman he was supposed to eventually be wed to.

The young woman clenched her hands into fists at the memory. Both of her hands were now wearing a pair of hide gloves. Vita started wearing them after she found that wielding Derflinger was something she was not really used to. The rather crude hilt would have eventually injured her hands at some point if she didn't. Simply wearing gloves to prevent that from happening was a much more practical means on dealing with the problem than replacing Derflinger's hilt...since none of them knew what would even happen if anyone tried to disassemble the sword. As far as they knew, Derflinger had held its original form ever since it was originally forged by the first Gandalfr over six-thousand years ago. The other side of that resolution was that Vita had to get used to wielding her rapier shaped sword-wand with a gloved hand. It took her all of two weeks to do that. As expected of her, really.

Her rather revealing shorts were quickly replaced by a pair of slacks that the male students usually wear at the academy. Louise had insisted on this change rather vehemently stating that no added advantage in mobility is worth a young woman's modesty. Vita had originally protested to it, reasoning out that modesty meant nothing if it got you and your comrades killed. In addition, the added distraction against men provided by her smooth legs would only compound to her advantage in combat. Her master and future daughter was just about as stubborn in the matter as she was. They stayed at a stalemate on that matter until she discovered the effects of the Gandalfr runes. The added boosts in her mobility and other physical attributes when wielding a weapon more than made up for the relative restrictiveness of wearing pants...much to the joy and satisfaction of Louise.

Her shoes were also replaced with a pair of knee-high brown leather boots that overlapped over her pants. Those were purchased on Vita's request since they were much more secure to wear than her regular shoes. Thus, they were much harder to lose accidentally whenever she moved using both the Gandalfr rune enhancements and her own speed boosting spell.

About the only thing in her old wardrobe that remained the same was her belt. This was obviously necessary since her belt was what secured her sword-wand's scabbard on the left side of her waist.

Vita closed her eyes and took a deep breath after hearing the approach of a winged beast. She opened her eyes and saw the very manticore that she had summoned not too long ago being used as a mount by a woman her entire being despised. She had worried about her own familiar after she was summoned by Louise but she was certain that her comrades...no...that Centurion would take care of it as long as he is able to.

Karin dismounted from her manticore before sending it away. Vita took in the sight of her future self fully dressed in her Manticore Knight Commander Armor. Light full-body leather armor that was plated with steel on the most vulnerable areas of the body. The lower half of her face was covered with a metal mask, likely both for protection and to hide her actual identity. Her mantle and her wide-brimmed hat that was adorned with a shuttlecock showing to all her status as a commander. Karin's left hand rested on the hilt of her own sword-wand while her right hand rested on her hip. All of that, along with those cold hard eyes that Vita hated so much, made for a rather imposing figure. Since Vita was only a couple of inches taller than Louise, Karin almost towered over her. It was a wonder to the young woman when her growth spurt was supposed to happen for her to eventually develop that kind of body.

Wordlessly, both of them drew their respective sword-wands and prepared for battle. In the distance, Louise along with her sisters and father were bearing witness to this duel. The young void mage tightened her hold on Derflinger as she wondered why this transpired in the first place. It just didn't make any sense the way Vita acted in front of her mother...in front of Vita's future self.

...

My blood froze. I couldn't move. Looking into that woman's eyes drew out something within me that I didn't even know was there. Those eyes. Those cold hard eyes on that equally hardened face made me sick. She was like steel. A finely crafted sword of the highest quality. Exquisite but deadly at the same time.

I hated that expression.

"Mother..." I heard Louise mutter out. She and both of her sisters suddenly becoming much more subdued in the presence of that woman. She barely acknowledged the presence of Louise before glancing at me. The woman narrowed her eyes at me, probably because I was glaring swords at her. The Duchess only kept her gaze on me for less than a second before turning away.

"Get cleaned up and prepare for dinner." She all but ordered to her daughters before turning her back to them and walking away, not even taking any time to even greet her youngest. Louise may have noticed my tension and took my right hand into her left hand and squeezed. That simple gesture was the only thing that kept me from launching an all-out attack on her mother.

Why? Why was she like that? She was a hero! She was a living legend in every sense of the word! So why? Why is she acting like those cold hearted nobles that were causing so much pain and suffering to those of lower stature to them?

"My goodness! Who is your companion here, Louise? She looks just like you!" My hate-filled thought process was interrupted by the voice of one of Louise's elder sisters, the pink haired one. She was, in a word, Beautiful. I gave Louise's hand a squeeze with mine to let her know that I was okay now before letting go. I took a step forward before placing my right hand over my heart and giving the woman a bow.

"Greetings and Salutations. I am Vita la Oratorio del Vento, a Romalian wind mage that had recently found herself as the summoned familiar of your sister." I explained before gesturing to Louise at the last part. The pink haired woman let out a gasp while the other, a blonde and seemingly older than either pinkette, narrowed her eyes at me before adjusting her glasses.

"A noble as a familiar? That's just absurd! Why would a Romalian mage want to become a familiar of all things, especially for that runt?" The blonde haired woman asked skeptically. She was also the one who brought Louise and I here in the first place in something akin to an irritated fit. I heard Louise call her Big Sister Eleanore but I never got the rest of her name.

"It is a long story to be sure. However, I have my reasons and know that I am in Louise's service of my own free will." I stated clearly to her. Showing that I was loyal to Louise while implying that I wasn't really open to further invasive inquiries about our partnership. I prevented any follow up questions from either of them by asking one of my own.

"May I have the honor of knowing the names of my master's elder sisters?" I asked in the most polite way I could. Eleanore blinked at me once before clearing her throat and performing a perfect curtsy.

"Of course, how rude of me not to return your introduction. I am Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere, an Earth Mage and head researcher at the Tristain Royal Department of Earth Magic. I am the eldest of us three here." Eleanore finished her introduction before straightening out her skirt and giving me a polite nod. Head Researcher for a Royal Department of Earth Magic? At her age? I had heard in passing about the different Royal Departments of Magic and they were supposed to be composed of the best of the best researchers in Tristain. That usually meant that the members were all old men who were of triangle rank mages or higher. The fact that a young woman such as Eleanore was able to get in one of those Royal Departments and achieved the rank of Head Researcher was a very impressive feat. I turned to the other sister and saw her give me a warm smile before performing her own curtsy and introducing herself.

"Greetings lady Vento. I am Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Fontaine and I am also an Earth Mage just like my sister. However, my body has been weak since I was little so I haven't been able to utilize my magic the way my elder sister has. I am the middle sister of out family." The gentle woman, now known as Cattleya, greeted me. Another Earth Mage? And her body is weak as well. Troubling. I was about say more but a servant requested that the three sisters prepare for dinner at the insistence of their mother.

As expected, the only ones who were actually served dinner were that woman, Louise, and the rest of her sisters. I was not even given a chair to sit on so I just stood at ease behind Louise. Dinner was mostly a quiet affair, none of the sisters willing to break the silence when their mother seemed intent in keeping the silence in the room. I tried very hard to ignore her presence and simply closed my eyes in order to meditate for the duration of the meal. I did not know how long it was that I was meditating but when I opened my eyes again, dinner had already finished. I was about to ask Louise if she was ready to leave the dining area when that woman finally decided to speak.

"Why do you continue to be subservient to my youngest daughter, familiar?" My brow twitched at the accusatory way she asked the question and the demeaning way she referred to me. I turned to her and found her steely eyes staring right at me. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to calm down. No matter how much time I spend around that woman, her very presence almost sets me off. It was very unnerving the way I was so offended by her.

"I was summoned by Louise during the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual at the Tristain Magic Academy this past spring. Even one such as I knew the significance of such a ritual to any mage. After much dialogue between Louise and myself, I agreed to become her familiar on terms that are only between the two of us." I stated without much hesitation. The way I said my words made all three sisters gasp out while that woman simply maintained her stare at me.

"One such as you..." She repeated my words without breaking eye contact from me. Even from here, the pressure of her constant gaze was frighteningly effective.

"A fallen noble then? Trying to claw your way back to prominence by using my daughter as a stepping stone?" The woman inferred condescendingly while glancing between Louise and I. Half a mind to shove a tornado spell in her face, I was about to retort when Louise beat me to it.

"No! Vita isn't like that! She is an honorable mage who has protected me in several occasions!" Louise all but blurted out in an attempt to defend my honor. As touched as I was at the gesture, I knew that it would only have the opposite effect when directed at that woman.

"Occasions wherein you could not even defend yourself." That woman coldly stated at her own daughter without hesitation or remorse. Louise had no counter to such a direct and vicious statement so she could only look away. Her two sisters did not seem like they could do anything either, lest they redirect that woman's harshness toward them instead. That woman maintained her gaze at her youngest daughter so I used myself to shield her. That woman narrowed her eyes at my actions and I was ready to throw every single spell I knew at her. My sword-wand at my side and Derflinger on my back ensured that I had more than ample weapons with which to activate the Gandalfr runes with if needed.

"Go to your rooms and sleep. We will continue this discussion once your father returns tomorrow." However, that woman, in all her infuriating glory, simply waved us away before leaving the dining area without a second glance.

Neither Louise nor I were able to get a good night's sleep after that.

...

"I hope you realize who it is you are challenging, child." Karin confidently stated to Vita as she stood before the girl in her full armor, her sword-wand in her hand. Because of the metal mask she wore to hide the lower half of her face, her voice was distorted enough to make it seem like it was lower than it should be. A simple but effective means of hiding one's gender.

"I do. And I will never acknowledge you." Vita responded simply. Her cold eyes narrowed at the younger girl before readying herself from battle.

_No. I will never accept her as being my future self!_ Vita thought as she went into her combat stance.

_I will never accept that I would be this kind of person someday, that I would one day treat my youngest daughter in that manner!_ The young woman continued her train of thought as the two square-classed wind mages stared each other down. Vita felt the magic of the Gandalfr runes course through her body reassuringly. She was facing her ideal. The culmination of decades of her hard work and experience. The absolute peak of the kind of power she could normally ever hope to attain. And she had to surpass all of that in order to win. Vita had her magic. She had her own experience. She had her combat instinct. She had her creativity as a mage. Everything that Karin had, except one thing. Vita was a Gandalfr...and the young woman was going to make sure that she will abuse that fact as much as she humanly could. Her motivation as to why was simple:

_I never walked down this path in order to simply grow up into you!_ Vita thought before making the first move and launching her attack.

The younger mage made an upward diagonal slash with her sword-wand, which created a wall of wind that hurtled toward her foe. Karin made a surprised expression, but only for a fraction of a second, before enveloping her own sword-wand with a layer of wind and slashing at the oncoming attack. The former Manticore Knight Commander was able to break through the wall of wind that the young Gandalfr made but it gave Vita more than enough time to continue her attack.

Karin, on instinct, immediately moved to the side as half a dozen lances made of wind slammed into where she was standing a moment ago. The war veteran quickly scanned her field of vision for her foe even while Vita's wind lances were tearing through the ground. Her eyes snapped wide open and she quickly spun around and slashed horizontally with her wind enhanced sword-wand after she felt a surge of hostile intent coming from behind her.

"Guh!" It was Vita's turn to be surprised at the quickness and combat sense of her foe. She had made sure to immediately cast her speed boosting spell on herself with the Gandalfr runes still active. Those two enhancements stacked on top of one another gave her more speed that she had ever been able to perform by her magic alone. Even will all of that and her initial barrage, Karin was still able to intercept her back attack. Vita felt Karin's hostile intent and immediately converted her wind blade into a wind shield, just in time to take one of the legendary Heavy Winds at point blank range.

"Ghaaaaaah!" Vita screamed out as she was blasted away from Karin because of the wall of wind. This was not the strongest form of Karin's heavy wind, but it was more than enough to get a young girl off her.

Vita was able to right herself in the air on time before skidding into a crouched landing on the ground. Their initial exchanged ended with neither causing any real damage to each other. However, that last move threw Vita a significant distance away and showed just how much power her future self had at her disposal.

The young Gandalfr stood back up and reconsidered her strategy against Karin. She knew that it would be a tough fight for her since Karin was at least her equal and older woman proved that she was even more than that. That kind of raw power behind her wind, it very nearly destroyed Vita's shield.

Vita didn't have any more time to contemplate any further as she saw a very familiar swirl of wind forming around Karin's feet.

"Oh no..." The young woman was barely able to let out before Karin effectively vanished in a gust of wind. No, this was different. This was the very speed boost spell that Vita had used moments before. The recognition came too late as she suddenly found herself in the shadow of her future self...in the literal sense of the term.

"Raaaaaaaagh!" Vita roared out in a desperate attempt to redirect Karin's attack by wrapping herself with a small tornado. It was enough to deter her future self's attempt at close combat but Karin simply started throwing razor wind spells at the younger mage's impromptu barrier until it finally gave way.

Both combatants immediately rushed at each other before exchanging blows with their razor wind enchanted sword-wands. Vita knew that she won't be able to win like this. She only ever really engaged in close combat like this if there was either no other choice of if she knew that her foe couldn't win. The younger mage felt like she was the former while the older mage felt like she was the latter.

Vita disengaged from the melee with another wall of wind, that Karin had to block this time because of the distance, before getting some more distance between them. The young Gandalfr momentarily cursed the fact that they were out in an open field instead of the forest or in a city. She could have easily started throwing trees or chunks of buildings at her foe if they were. Then again, so would Karin.

The younger mage blinked when she realized that Karin was no longer pursuing her. She realized why when Karin was gathering a ridiculous amount of wind around her before forming it into a massive lance above her head.

"It can't be..." Vita muttered to herself as she realized what Karin was doing. It was a concept she had only considered to try to develop after a passing remark about her heavy wind by Centurion. Her own Heavy Wind spell was just her smashing a massive amount of wind at her foe and using the sheer force of the spell to overwhelm anyone caught in it. Centurion had once commented that she could blast into even the thickest castle walls if she focused all that wind into a singular point and lace it with razor winds.

"As if I'd let you!" Vita launched her own Heavy Wind at Karin before the older mage could finish casting. However, Karin did not even flinch at the oncoming attack and simply pointed her sword-wand at the wall of wind and sent her own Heavy Wind at it.

The result froze Vita where she stood.

Her strongest spell, her trademark attack was being halted right in front of her. No even more so, it was being pushed back. Karin's Heavy Wind was much more focused that Vita's and the power and experience that came with her age was being shown through the clash of their spells. Vita became enraged at the development. She wasn't about to let herself be beaten like that. She resolved herself to overcome this trial and prove that she was better than that woman in front of her. Without any further hesitation, she threw out another Heavy Wind at her counterpart's version, fully committed on breaking Karin's spell.

Too committed.

"Naive!" She heard Karin's voice from her side and was barely able to put up her sword-wand in a defensive posture before it got struck by Karin's.

_A distraction? No, improvisation._ Vita thought as she once again traded blows with the taller woman. Both of their Heavy Winds have managed to cancel each other out without their notice as they where both too focused on the battle at hand.

"Haaaaah!" Vita screamed out as she increased the amount of wind wrapping around her sword-wand in an attempt to overpower her foe. It was ridiculous! Vita was already actively using the enhancements given by the Gandalfr runes on top of her own swordsmanship and Karin was easily keeping up with her!

_Just what kind of monster do I turn into?_ Vita thought out in irritation and a mild amount of fear. She knew deep down that she will not win if the battle continues like this but she couldn't think of any decisive way to defeat her foe.

"Do not second guess your attacks!" Karin's voice shook her from her thoughts as the older woman parried her strike before delivering a kick to her side that sent her sprawling. Vita was about to roll away and recover when she was slammed with a powerful gust of wind.

"Not…yet…! I won't let you beat me!" Vita roared out as she quickly regained her balance thanks to the Gandalfr runes and started approaching Karin in a zigzag pattern. The former Manticore Knight Commander launched a large number of razor wind spells to either slow down or hit Vita, but the younger woman had already activated her speed boosting spell so she was able to easily avoid the projectiles. Vita jumped up in the air and prepared her own barrage of wind spells but Karin intercepted her by jumping up after her. The two mages clashed wind enhanced sword-wands once more in the air, generating howling blasts of wind around them with each strike.

"I won't accept you!" Vita yelled out at her foe but the loudness of the combined winds around them prevented Karin from actually hearing her.

"I won't accept the way you treat Louise!" The young woman yelled out again after another strike, her eyes burning with determination and anger as opposed to Karin's ever cold steel-like eyes.

"I won't accept that I will ever turn out like you!" Vita screamed out once more before taking her sword-wand in both hands and preparing for an overhand strike with the force of one of her Heavy Winds. Karin noticed this and prepared to retaliate in kind.

"I will surpass you!" Vita yelled out once more time before their strikes met and both of them were consumed in a vortex of opposing winds. It was like seeing a hurricane form and be destroyed in a small area.

The two combatants finally separated from one another and landed a fair distance away from each other. There was no hesitation between them as they launched at each other once more as soon as they landed.

The howling of the wind did not stop until much later.

...

"You fight with such naked emotion. You will never prosper in the battlefield with that kind of mindset. Such immaturity is a waste of the talents you have at your disposal." Karin said in a lecturing tone as she continued to point the tip of her sword-wand between Vita's unflinching eyes.

"I would rather live in that manner than to achieve honor and glory by encasing my heart in a cage made of steel." Vita retorted without any hint of fear or hesitation. She was defeated in battle but she stubbornly continued to refuse to acknowledge that Karin's Rule of Steel was the right path to greatness.

"An honest difference in opinion then. Only time will tell if your way of life will lead to anywhere worthwhile or if it will only lead you to your doom." The Heavy Wind stated before sheathing her weapon and walking away, leaving behind a glaring Vita who was still on one knee and using her own sword-wand for support.

"Why?" Louise muttered as she watched her mother walk away without remorse from the girl Karin once was. The young woman witnessed the entire battle, the clash of ideals between a girl from the past and the future she would eventually become.

Louise couldn't understand it. They were the same person, so why were they so different? What happened to her mother that made her change so drastically from what Vita was in the present? What did her mother have to go through in order to even think about the concept of the Rule of Steel?

Those were questions that would haunt Louise for long time.

While her master was unsure of what to think or do about the situation, Vita made her resolute oath.

"I won't become like you. I will walk down a different path with a better future. I will never grow up into someone as cold and lifeless as you." Vita swore to herself as she watched Karin fly off on her manticore. The girl who had become a familiar of legend. The girl who was destined to become one of the greatest modern mages of her time. The girl who was now determined to grow up into a woman that surpassed her future self without having to sacrifice her emotions or her humanity in order to do so.

...

Thank you all for your support!


End file.
